Inheritance
by crimsonpuddle
Summary: Upon finding a young child in the now abandoned Europe, the Doctor is given hope of finding Rose once and for all. But who is this girl, and how does she know the Doctor? Vignette set in series 4. Doctor/Rose reunion fluff. Spoilers for series 2 finale.
1. The Daughter Of Time

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Shocker. I do own Frea though.**

A/N: Here's my Doctor Who Vignette, called Inheritance; I hope you enjoy it! Please review it for me if you have the time.

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**Chapter 1: The Daughter Of Time**

Roof tiles were still falling from the sky. Cracks were still appearing in pavements. Cities were still being destroyed. But lives were no longer being lost, for there were no more lives in Europe. The Everlasting Storm, people were calling it. They had no idea. The whole of Europe, wiped out, because of one reckless creature. The Doctor stood silent, and watched the great city of London collapse in front of him. He did not smile, or frown, or cry, but just stood, looking out over the demolition.

Suddenly he turned, and retreated into the TARDIS. Donna sat behind the mechanism, shocked and shaking. It was just forty-something years into her future. She'd still be alive when this happened. Neither of the travellers said a word, and the Doctor was about to enter co-ordinates to escape the disaster when,

'Doctor!' Donna gasped, pointing at the door with a shaking hand. The Doctor looked. A girl, no older than eleven, was stood at the door, peering into the TARDIS. She looked terrified of the ruins outside, but seemed to have enough strength to let her jaw drop as she stared in through the window.

'Impossible...' the Doctor muttered, pacing slowly towards the door.

'I thought you said everyone would have been killed?' Donna asked quietly.

'I did.' the Doctor murmured, as he opened the door and turned to the girl. 'So how did _you _survive?' He stood back and motioned for her to come in, and she did so silently. She had a rucksack slung over her shoulder, which she dropped on the floor softly. Donna walked round to the front of the TARDIS and smiled at her. She smiled back weakly, and looked to the Doctor, then Donna, in turn.

'So, there's a massive war, wiping out the whole of Europe, and the only survivor is... well, you.' the Doctor clarified, talking to himself more than anything, but the girl nodded.

'What's your name?' Donna asked kindly.

'Frea.' the girl replied, and before Donna could ask her next question, she said 'I'm 10.'

The Doctor was looking at Frea with utmost amazement, whilst rummaging around in his pocket. He soon pulled out the metal sonic device of his, and moved it over her body, frowning. 'But how?' he asked her, and Donna frowned at him.

'Doctor, don't ask her that; she doesn't know!' she hissed at him over Frea's head. 'She's probably terrified!'

'Did you say "Doctor"?' The travellers turned to look at the child, and the Doctor nodded. Frea grinned and bent down to open her rucksack. The Doctor and Donna looked at each other confusedly and a couple of seconds later, Frea emerged from the bag holding a letter.

'I believe you know my grandmother.' she said shortly.

'Sorry?' the Doctor asked, and Donna frowned at him.

'You want to know how I survived that thing?' Frea asked. 'I'm a Timelord, or Timelady, whatever we're called these days, just like you.'

The Doctor's eyes widened. 'What?'

'Well, okay, I'm quarter Timelord, but it's in my blood so don't even -'

'What? You don't know what you're talking about.' the Doctor spat, and Frea sighed.

'She said you wouldn't believe me, so -'

'Who said that?' the Doctor asked.

'My grandmother.' Frea replied quickly, and then continued, so as not to let him interrupt again. 'Anyway, she said you'd argue about it, so she gave my mother this. And now I have it.' Frea held out an old, faded envelope and the Doctor took it with slightly shaking hands. 'It's for you.' she added.

The doctor turned the envelope over. On the front, it read _'Doctor'_in a familiar writing, but the Doctor couldn't place whose it was. Looking up at Frea for encouragement, she nodded.

With a million thoughts flying round his head about Frea and the letter, he ripped open the aged envelope and scanned the letter. It began _'Dearest Doctor'_ and ended _'All my love,'_ - no... it couldn't be...

'Rose...' the Doctor whispered softly, and the two girls looked up at him. His eyes were watery for a moment, then he looked up from the letter and glared at Frea.

'Is this a joke?' he asked tentatively. He had not lost his love to be taunted by a child. Frea shook her head frantically, but it didn't convince the Doctor. 'Is this supposed to be funny?' he spat. Donna looked at the Doctor sadly, and gave him a 'what-are-you-doing?' look, but Frea didn't seem too bothered. She reached for a necklace around her neck, and pulled it off, handing it to the Doctor.

'You gave this to my grandmother.' she sniffed, sliding an golden ring encasing an emerald green gem from the chain. 'And she gave it to my mother, who gave it to me.' She held out the ring for the Doctor, holding back a tear.

The Doctor reached out and took the ring, astounded. A solitary tear slid down his rosy cheeks. He remembered the time he had selected the ring in secret, planning to give it to Rose, as nothing more than an act of friendship. She had gone on and on about how beautiful it was, but after the purchase was made, whenever the thought had occurred of actually giving it to her, he had cast it away. And that very same ring was still lost in his inner pocket - wait… the Doctor felt a sudden surge of heat near his cheat, and a quick pat on the pocket told him the original ring had by some means vanished. The work of a Paradox. So what did this mean? Would he, someday, give this ring to Rose? He closed his hand around the smooth gold, closing his eyes and allowing himself a moment of weakness. A teardrop fell down onto the letter, and the Doctor turned back to it.

'_My dearest Doctor,_

_I cannot be sure when you will receive this letter, but I know that the girl who gives it to you will be called Frea, named after her mother. It's short for Gallifrea, as you might have guessed. I never wanted to forget you, and named our daughter after that far away place that you used call home, so that I might remember the times when we shared one. That's right, you have a daughter, and a granddaughter!_

_You're probably wondering how this all happened, but there's no time for me to explain all of that in this letter, so you'll have to wait for the finer details. You see, for you, it may have been years and years since we last met on the beach, but for me, that was only 5 months ago, though since then a lot has happened. That was still too long to be away from you, so I was out of my mind with excitement when the rift... well, it doesn't matter for the moment._

_You need to meet me on New Year's Day, the first day of 2008, on the Powell Estate. Don't ask Frea about it, she won't know why. Just be there. Take care of Frea; she's all I have left, since our daughter (her mother) is now gone, and I want her safe. She can't come back to 2008, because of timelines and so on, but you've told me of the war in Europe, and I don't want her there. My little sister, Frea's great-aunt, lives in America and I've enclosed co-ordinates that should take you there. They're expecting you._

_Here you come now, telling me to hurry up writing! We're having Christmas a bit late this year, and the turkey's getting cold, apparently.  
Oh, and while I've got the chance to say it, please remember not to mention the terrible cooking of my mum, like you so tactfully did last time._

_Don't be late. All my love,  
Rose xxx'_

The Doctor read through the letter a couple of times before he understood it even a little.

'How?' he asked Frea, ignoring the letter's instructions. She shrugged, as Rose had warned him she would, and the Doctor looked about breathlessly, as if thinking he'd find an answer in the room.

'Wait,' he told himself, and re-read the last lines. _'Here you come now,'_ she'd written. So... of course! It didn't matter how Rose got there, what was important was that it was real! He could go to the place, find Rose, and tell her to pass a letter and the emerald ring down through the generations, so that he could find her, and tell her what to do! It was brilliant!

And another thing... the rift... Obviously! Jack had mentioned the rift a while ago... he'd opened it and things had started flooding in from all sorts of places! So... say the void had opened, but it only opened long enough for things to flood through, then closed back up, and when Jack reversed it, those things couldn't get back! Rose would have been sucked straight through when it opened, because of travelling in time before, so... Yes, it had to be!

Donna and Frea were sitting together now, whispering about something unimportant, and they glanced up when the Doctor ran round with a grin on his face.

'Finally!' Donna smiled. 'I've been waiting for you to smile like that for God knows how long!'  
The Doctor sighed at Frea disbelievingly, and almost regretted saying 'Right, Gallifrea! To America we go!'

'What?' Frea asked. 'Why America?'

The Doctor sighed again. He hated this. 'Frea, you've got to stay in America now. With some relatives.'

Frea's face faltered. 'But... I wanted to come with you!'

'I know.' the Doctor replied, crouching down to lower himself to her height. 'Your grandmother was Rose, yes?' Frea nodded. 'Well, she says that your great-aunt's expecting you.'

'Auntie Simone?' she asked, her eyes lighting up.

'Uh, yeah.' the Doctor assumed. 'Yeah, auntie Simone's waiting for you.'

'Okay.' Frea held on to the side to the chair, sensing that the Doctor's driving wouldn't be too good. She looked a little happier, but Donna couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

'What happened to your mum?' she asked Frea softly.

'She died when I was three and I inherited the ring and that letter. I've lived with Grandma Rose for as long as I can remember.' Frea replied even quieter, and Donna gave her apologies.

The Doctor rammed in some co-ordinates he'd found on a piece of paper in the envelope, and whacked some buttons according to the instructions. He felt giddy with excitement, and picked Frea up, spinning round and round with her while she laughed like a child. Then the TARDIS began to shake and the Doctor stood Frea on the floor as they both lunged for something to hold on to.

The Doctor pulled open the TARDIS doors to show Frea her future home in America. Her eyes widened, and Donna smiled as she stepped outside into the sunny morning.

A couple of minutes later, Frea and her great-aunt were waving good-bye to a smiling Donna and a hastily retreating Doctor. As soon as the door closed, the Doctor turned and ran into the TARDIS, wasting no time.

'Right,' he muttered, as he pushed in co-ordinates that he'd memorised years before. 'Powell Estate... 2008... here we go.'

As if in doubt, he hung onto a bar on the TARDIS and waited. Sure enough, a mighty crash came, followed by a gulp from the eager time traveller and a nervous glance from his companion.

After a pause, the Doctor glanced back to Donna, and urgently bounded outside.

'Doctor…?'

The Doctor turned. Before he saw her, a tear emerged in his eye, recognising that sweet voice with unbelievable happiness. Relief washed over his mind as he ran forwards to her, picking her up in his arms and laughing heartily with joy. It seemed so much like a dream. He didn't ask why or how, as his usual self would have done, but instead ran round the street with his love, not letting her escape his embrace.

He became vaguely aware that there was a couple standing behind Rose, and as he spun her around, he noticed a second figure, and a child, but no Donna. Noticing but not caring, he laughed and cried and hugged Rose closer to his body. He couldn't believe it; he could feel her soft hands on his neck, smell her sweet perfume and hear her joyous cries, so clearly now. He could never let it end.

After what seemed like hours, they parted, and looked into each other's eyes in a dream-like state. The Doctor managed to stutter out 'H-how?' to her, before she laughed and wrapped her arms around him once more. Realising that for the moment, he didn't care one bit, he returned to his important job of spinning Rose round with glee.

As they parted once more, a thought occurred to him, and he was sure he would forget it if he didn't mention it now, so he broke apart from Rose with sadness.

'I need you to write me a letter...' he began softly.

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Yay! I hope you didn't find that a _total_ waste of time, but if whether you did or didn't, please let me know! Was it fluffy enough/too fluffy? Did I ramble on too much?


	2. Explanations

**Disclaimers: Again, I do not own Doctor Who.**

A/N: This is a second, conclusional paragraph to my Vignette. It just clears up a few things. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2: Explanations**

'And then 'Wham!' The rift opens, and all kinds of junk starts falling out.' Jack finished dramatically, banging his knife on the table for effect. Rose smirked as she looked around the crowded table. Opposite her, Jackie and Pete were sat, gazing at Jack open-mouthed, as if they hadn't heard this story fifty times already. Next along was the Doctor, laughing with Jack as he discovered the truth about how he had been reunited with his love. Then there was Rose, in a midst of dazedness and not truly believing she was awake. She sipped at her wine, smiling at her foolishness for trusting this was real. Surely she would wake up any minute now, back in Pete's World. She had to!

Then, there was the latest edition to the family: little Gallifrea Tyler, the Doctor's very own daughter, was nervously switching between glaring at her mother for not giving her enough attention, and staring at this strange new man called dad, who'd appeared out of nowhere no less than three hours ago. Rose looked at her pityingly. To be under a year old and stuck in the middle of this was terrible. She gave her beloved daughter a sympathetic smile as the child looked her way, as if the baby was asking 'Who the hell is this guy?'

Rose let out a slight laugh at this thought, and felt a warm hand squeeze her leg comfortingly. She glanced to the left and the Doctor winked at her. She looked back sadly, her eyes apologising once more for the lie she had told him on Bad Wolf Bay. _'Although,'_ she reminded herself. _'Mum _had_ been pregnant too, so I wasn't technically lying when I said it was her...'_ The glint in the Doctor's eyes showed her that he had forgiven her, and Rose looked down and smiled, sliding her own hand into the Doctor's, underneath the table. She risked a glance up at Jackie, who hadn't noticed, thank God. Somehow, she didn't think the Doctor would appreciate another slap from Jackie Tyler.

Lastly, of course, there was Jack, retelling the events of the past month once again. He seemed overjoyed at Rose and the Doctor's reunion, and as a result had been increasingly hyper since the Doctor had arrived.

Jack had momentarily paused in his story of the events of the past month, most probably to continue eating, or something. Rose wasn't quite sure. Jackie seemed to have taken this as an opportunity to bother the Doctor.

'Who was that girl you were with?' she asked tactlessly, and Rose glowered at her.

'She was... a friend.' the Doctor said loudly, as if denying an accusation that hadn't been made. It didn't matter to Rose anyway. She trusted him.

'You should have invited her in!' Jackie said. 'She would have been welcome to stay!'

'She wanted to go home.' the Doctor told her casually. 'She said she didn't want to intrude.'

'Oh, nonsense!' Jackie cried, frowning, but the Doctor chose this moment to slip a rather large piece of turkey into his mouth and chew furiously, so no one replied. He made a mental note not to mention how stringy it was.

Jack had apparently only paused for a moment, because then the story continued.

'So we've got the whole deal here.' Jack continued, and the Doctor refocused, grinning. 'I mean, we had an outbreak of the bubonic plague. The plague! I ask you!' the men both laughed again as Jack listed some more of the horrors, the results of the rift opening. 'Anyway, it all goes back to where it came from, no problem. Torchwood dealt with that. But then...' he paused to eat a potato. 'Then, I come round here later that day to sort out a couple of things, nothing to worry about, and I see Jackie here -'

'That's right!' Jackie cried, thrilled to be involved in the story. 'And he asks me something about monsters or aliens or whatever, and I haven't the foggiest where I am or anything! 'Cause I was just washing Rose, the dog, I mean, back on Pete's World, then suddenly I'm running about on the Powell Estate! And I say to him: "Where the hell am I?", and he starts going on and on about some Wibble -'

'Weevil, I think you mean.' Jack cut in, and the Doctor chuckled.

'Oh, whatever.' Jackie continued, unperturbed. 'So he keeps asking me about these Weeble things, and finally I get him to shut up, just long enough for him to tell me I'm on the flippin' Powell Estate! So I'm rushing about, calling for Pete and Rose, the girl, I mean,' she pointed to Rose, who returned from her daydream and focused on what was being said. 'And he's just stood there! Just staring at me!'

Jack cut in this time, to try and bring the story back to order. 'So anyway, she mentions Mickey and Rose, and this time I've got to stop _her_ going on and on, to ask her what she's going on about. We eventually figured out that she must have, not fallen, but been sucked through the rift, when it opened, because of that void... stuff, that you all had from travelling through the worlds before. But because of the whole parallel universe situation, the breach between this world and Jackie's had already pulled itself closed, meaning she didn't go back when Torchwood sorted out the rift.'

Pete now decided it was his turn to tell the story, and all eyes now turned to him. 'I wandered round the corner a couple of minutes later, only to find Jacks hyperventilating and yelling to Jack about how she had to get back and find everyone! Then, we came here to Jackie's old flat, which hadn't been sold yet, and she still had the key, so we just walked in! After about half an hour, we'd calmed down a bit, and then Rose came in with Frea! Turned out she still had her key too, and this was the first place she thought to come to!'

Jack took over again. 'So after we had her up to date with everything, we went for a walk, to get some air and think it all over -'

'And then you appeared.' Rose finished, speaking for the first time since they had sat down at the Tyler's old flat for a late Christmas dinner.

After another hour of swapping stories and eating dinner, the group were happily discussing one of the Doctor's travels when a thought occurred to Rose.

'Mickey... and Jake...'

'What?' Jackie asked, before the Doctor could get a word in.

'Well, they've been through the void before as well, haven't they? So they would have been sucked through the rift, like us! They must have been! I mean, Frea hadn't even been through the void properly, only the times when she was inside me, but she still came through! Well, where are they?' she asked around the table, causing blank faces all around. The Doctor gave her a confident look.

'We'll find them.' he told her. 'But first, have you got that letter? Because I'll keep it in the TARDIS for now, and we just give it to Frea when she's older.' _'Along with the ring.'_ he added silently.

Rose nodded, and pulled out an envelope, then handed it to the Doctor. 'Now, you were saying all that stuff earlier when I was writing it, and I did put it in, but just remind me again, how does this work? And who's Simone?'

'That's what we were going to name the baby!' Jackie cried, patting her stomach.

'That's what you _are_ going to name the baby.' the Doctor corrected her, and sighed. 'Eight months gone, are you?' Jackie nodded happily, and Pete smiled at her enthusiastically. 'Oh, and she's going to live in America when she's older, by the way. I'm not sure why; you'll have to find that out on your own. We'll have to keep editing this letter though, when you lot find out where Simone's going to live, and when you know who Frea is.' Rose laughed.

'I know who Frea is! She's my daughter - she's _our_ daughter!'

'No, the other Frea.' The Doctor said, and Rose looked confused, but he waved it away. 'Don't worry; we'll meet her someday. She's our granddaughter.'

Rose looked at him disbelievingly, but he continued. 'Lovely girl. She goes to stay with Simone in America; that's why we need to put the coordinates in the letter later.'

'But, you still have the letter that you got in the future, right?' Jack asked. 'Can't you just copy it across?'

'Nah, it's much more fun to learn these things over time. Besides, I don't know where it is.' he lied, remembering what Rose had written in the letter about her daughter being 'gone'. Clearly that would be written in the years to come, and he had no intention of giving her that news anytime soon. While Jack laughed, Rose was once again frowning.

'I'm still really confused...' admitted Rose.

The Doctor smiled and squeezed her hand. 'Paradoxes. Tricky at the best of times.' He contemplated the best place to start. 'Well, we'll have to stay here now, on this Earth. The walls of the Universe really _have_ closed this time - no way back.'

'Torchwood can sort out any problems with ID - since you two are supposed to be dead.' Jack pointed at Rose and Jackie.

'Yeah.' the Doctor continued. 'So all we know is that, someday, Frea will have a child - who will also be named Gallifrea - and that child will one day find me in the past, and bring me here.'

'But -'

'No more questions.' the Doctor interrupted Rose. 'I might know the answers, I might not. But either way, the future should be a surprise. Anything we find out now might ruin that.' He didn't particularly want to have to tell Rose that their darling daughter would die just three years after the birth of their granddaughter. 'Spoilers.'

The Doctor turned back to the table, where Jack was retelling another story, and after a comforting squeeze of the hand, Rose did the same, laughing along with the rest of the table. He subconsciously reached up to pat the pocket that held the all important ring, the ring that had let him become weak, for just a second, and put all of his trust into a child; the ring that had led him to his partner when he had lost faith.

The Doctor felt the smooth circle of gold through his coat, and made a note and a promise to himself, to take care of Rose forever, and to propose to his love at the first chance given.

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And there it is! Ta da! Hope you liked it, and I hope it cleared up _most_ of your questions. I'm not really sure whether it cleared up all of mine...  
Please review, as I really want to know what I need to improve on, etc. for the future. I can take criticism!


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